1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to means for attracting fish and game, and more specifically to a dispenser for "chum," or bait which is distributed in an area adjacent a baited hook or lure, for attracting fish thereto. The present dispenser is submersible, and is lowered to the general level of the baited hook or lure to distribute the "chum" at the approximate level of the baited hook or lure, rather than merely distributing the chum on the surface for a hook or lure positioned well below the surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of bait and lures for attracting fish (and other game) has been known for generations. In fishing, the concept of attracting fish to the general area where an angler is using a baited hook or lure by means of distributing additional bait in the water, has been known for quite some time, and in fact is referred to by the term "chumming." The freely distributed bait serves to attract more fish from a greater distance, than a single piece of bait on a hook, and thus the technique finds some favor with anglers where the technique is of value (i.e., stationary fishing, as opposed to trolling).
Typically, the free bait or "chum" is merely scattered atop the surface of the water by hand, and either floats or sinks slowly. However, in stationary fishing, the baited hook or lure is almost always lowered to some depth below the surface of the water, or perhaps to the bottom of the body of water. It will be seen that the provision of "chum" on the surface will likely have little bearing upon the attraction of fish to a lure which is located at some depth below the surface. In fact, where tidal, river, or other currents exist, the "chum" will almost certainly drift away from the area of the baited hook or lure before descending to that depth (if such occurs at all), thus actually drawing any fish in the area, away from the baited hook or lure, rather than drawing fish to the hook.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a bait dispenser which is submersible, and which may be lowered to the general depth (i. e., on the bottom of a body of water, or at some intermediate depth) of a baited hook or lure. The dispenser may then be opened by means of a line attached thereto, to release the "chum" (live minnows, or possibly pieces of bait, etc.) for attracting fish to the vicinity of the lure. The submersible bait dispenser is recovered after release of the "chum" by means of the attached line, for later use.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,705 issued on Oct. 28, 1958 to John Woodcock, titled "Bait Dispenser," describes a generally conical cap for a bait container, with the tip of the cone having an opening with a spring loaded slotted cover. The opening is just large enough to allow one bait article (cricket, etc.) at a time to escape therefrom when the cover is lifted. When the cover is lifted, the bait insect or the like attempts to escape therefrom, thus being positioned for the insertion of a hook therethrough by means of the slot in the cover. The Woodcock device is adapted for allowing a person to bait a hook with live bait, and cannot provide for the remote distribution of plural bait articles at a predetermined depth below the surface of the water, as provided by the present submersible bait dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,986 issued on Aug. 16, 1960 to Carl S. Williamson, titled "Bait Holder And Dispenser," describes a box having a series of openable closures with padded tongs or tweezers normally placed therein. Bait insects or the like are placed within the box, with means being provided to guide the bait toward the openable closures and the tongs therein. When an insect is needed, the tongs are used to grip one which has climbed to that area of the container, with the tong receptacle automatically closing when the tongs are withdrawn therefrom. No means is provided by Williamson for simultaneously dispensing multiple bait organisms, nor for remotely dispensing such organisms below the surface of the water, as in the "chumming" apparatus of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,204 issued on Jun. 22, 1976 to Francis W. McKinley, titled "Container and Dispenser For Fish Bait," describes a device having one or more rotary hooked or cupped fingers therein, which cooperate with slotted openings in the upper surface of the container. The fingers are rotated and pick up bait organisms within the container (grubs, insects, etc., depending upon the configuration of the fingers) and draw them upwardly through corresponding slotted openings where they are accessible for baiting a fish hook. No means is provided in the McKinley device for simultaneously releasing a plurality of bait organisms, nor for remotely releasing such organisms below the surface of the water, as provided by the present submersible bait dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,320 issued on Sep. 13, 1977 to Marion D. Lee, titled "Bait Dispenser," describes a generally tubular device having a slotted opening or passage in the neck thereof. The neck may be selectively spread to widen the slot for the passage of bait insects or the like therefrom. A spring loaded plunger is positioned in the neck below the slot, to block the passage of more than one insect at a time through the neck of the device. The Lee device is adapted for providing single bait insects for the baiting of a fishing hook, rather than for the remote and simultaneous distribution of a plurality of bait organisms below the surface of the water for "chumming," as provided by the present submersible bait dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,479 issued on Mar. 13, 1979 to William Kingston, titled "Fish Bait Dispenser," describes a remotely actuated device for opening a prepackaged container of bait. A vacuum packaged container is placed within a frame, with a spring biased blade positioned at one edge of the container. Fine wires of dissimilar metals are used to hold the blade away from the container. When the device is placed in a liquid which may serve as an electrolyte (e. g., sea water), the metals corrode, thus releasing the blade to cut the package open. The device is thus not operable in fresh water, and the timing is imprecise due to the release mechanism provided. Also, the Kingston device cannot be used with live bait, due to the sealed nature of the package with which the device is used. In contrast, the present bait dispenser is remotely but manually actuated as desired, and provides for the release of live or other "chum" bait at a time, location, and depth as desired by the angler, in either fresh or salt water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,338 issued on Oct. 7, 1980 to Donald E. Schweim, titled "Live Bait Dispenser," describes a relatively large and bulky, automated vending machine for dispensing bait to purchasers thereof. The Schweim machine is adapted for fixed installation at a given location and cannot be immersed in water for operation, nor can it be remotely operated by a line attached thereto for releasing bait therefrom, as provided by the present submersible bait dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,146 issued on Jan. 31, 1984 to Wilbert L. Walker, titled "Fish Bait Dispenser," describes a container having a narrow bottom portion for guiding generally spherical fish bait portions to a slotted outlet. A fish hook is passed into the slotted outlet, to hook one of the fish bait articles. The Walker device is adapted for assisting an angler in baiting a hook, and is thus more closely related to the devices disclosed in the U.S. patents to Woodcock, McKinley, and Lee, discussed further above, than to the present invention. No means of remotely and simultaneously releasing a plurality of bait articles or organisms below the surface of the water is disclosed by Walker, as provided by the present submersible bait dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,303 issued on Dec. 1, 1998 to George Abraham et al., titled "Fishing Bait Dispenser," describes an automated dispensing device for attachment to the side of a boat, above the water. An electrically driven conveyor belt picks up bait from a container and raises it to the top of the device, where it is dispensed over the side of the boat to the surface of the water. The Abraham et al. dispenser is not adapted for lowering below the surface of the water, for dispensing "chum" at some location below the surface and near the baited hook or lure, as provided by the present submersible bait dispenser. Moreover, the Abraham et al. dispenser cannot be selectively and remotely actuated by a line to dispense bait or "chum" selectively as desired, as provided by the present bait dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. D-244,372 issued on May 17, 1977 to Jerry W. Kirkhart, titled "Fish Bait Dispenser," illustrates a design for a container generally resembling a coffee mug or the like, but including an upper closed lid and a lower dispenser outlet. No means is apparent in the Kirkhart disclosure for lowering the device of the Kirkhart design to a predetermined location beneath the surface of the water and releasing bait therefrom, as provided by the present submersible bait dispenser.
Finally, French Patent Publication No. 1,488,709 published on Jul. 13, 1967 to Michel Benezet illustrates an apparatus for automatically releasing bait or chum below the surface of the water, at periodic intervals. One embodiment of the apparatus comprises a series of adjacent bait compartments, with each two compartments in the series having a common wall therebetween. Each wall is apparently adapted to dissolve upon contact with water to release the contents of the associated compartment, whereupon water entering the compartment starts the process on the next wall of the next compartment. The process requires considerable time, on the order of twenty four hours per each compartment. Other embodiments illustrate mechanical means for opening the compartments in series. While the French apparatus is adapted for releasing material below the surface of the water, it cannot be selectively actuated by a line by an angler at the surface, as provided by the present submersible bait dispenser.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.